


Through Fire

by desvelada, LadyAlura



Series: Path to Peace [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Haikyuu!!
Genre: A lot of background ships and side pairings, Avatar!Oikawa, Gen, Waterbender!Iwa, We want this to be a story and plot based fic, a lot of given names, also Oikawa will be as canon as possible, set before atla
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6133912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desvelada/pseuds/desvelada, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAlura/pseuds/LadyAlura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Fire is the element of power, Hajime.  And Tooru is one of the most powerful benders I have ever seen.”  Prince Wakatoshi was stoic in his speaking to Hajime, as he always was.</p>
<p>“Tooru is the Avatar.  He already has enough stress to deal with as it is.  He shouldn’t have to worry about you or your father constantly breathing down his neck,” came Hajime’s slightly annoyed response.</p>
<p>“My father only wants what’s best for him.  Tooru is too clouded by his emotions for his own good.  Wielding a power like the Avatar State could cause serious harm to him, and others around him.”</p>
<p>“Your father just wants to control him, just like my father did, and just like every other Nation’s officials are going to.  We can’t decide what’s best for Tooru.  Only he can do that.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through Fire

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah, this is an atla au that's gonna be multichaptered (probably more than 10).  
> weekly(?) updates as time permits.  
> also planning on starting a series, as the title implies
> 
> have fun
> 
> (please be gentle if there are errors, this is one of our first fics)  
> ((also we suck at making titles))

“Hey, Koushi…” Tooru shifted restlessly on the soft grass of the garden, picking at the turf.

“Mm?” was his friend’s only response, as he was focused on the three turtle ducklings swimming around their mother in the pond. Both boys still sat fully clothed in their training garments, the sleeves of their tunics cut away to allow easy movement.

Tooru sat cross-legged, with perfect posture, as was expected of a child of the Oikawa line, whereas Koushi splayed his legs in front of him, leaning back on his hands. Tooru knew his friend was listening, but simply didn’t show it.

“Do you think it’s weird that no one has found the next Avatar yet?” Tooru knew this was a silly question, because the sages and monks of the other nations would’ve surely informed someone if they had found the Avatar. But no word had come in, and even the fire sages were beginning to doubt the reappearance of another Avatar. From their knowledge of the cycle, the next one would’ve born as a firebender, but none had been found.

Rewards were being posted all around the Fire Nation, for any information on strange bending habits. Trading ships from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes often carried messages, and even the most well-traveled sailors had no information about the Avatar.

“Maybe he’s just hiding,” was Koushi’s simple response. His friend had always had an overactive imagination, which was the product of being raised strictly by a traditional family.

“Why would someone as powerful as the Avatar go into hiding?”

Koushi shifted to face Tooru, taking in his friend in profile. His soft face was scrunched up in confusion, staring at the sinking moon’s reflection on the pond surface, disturbed only by the splashing turtle ducks. A stiff breeze shifted the fallen leaves around them, drawing them up into the evening sky. The chill caused Koushi to draw his legs inwards, linking his hands together in front of them. Tooru didn’t respond immediately, which told Koushi his friend was thinking. Thinking about what, was the question on Koushi’s mind.

“Perhaps he knows being the Avatar is stressful and he hides,” Koushi replied. Tooru finally tearing his gaze away to focus on the other’s face. Koushi, feeling torn open only to be observed, didn’t meet his friend’s gaze, but stared ahead. He felt uneasy. “I could be wrong … I’m not the Avatar, so maybe it’s just that he hasn’t been seen or he’s training in secret.”

“Could be …” Tooru echoed, following Koushi’s gaze with his own. They sat in silence, and as the silver-haired boy thought his words over – a commotion split behind them. They turned to find a tall man speaking with the Fire Lord, as a smaller frame held onto the man’s tribal wear. Wakatoshi was there, too, hearing the exchange by the door leading inside the palace. The Fire Lord ushered whispered farewells to the man and his companion and reached out for Wakatoshi’s hand before leading the prince back inside. The tribesman and the small figure turned and walked away from the courtyard and approached the pond Koushi and Tooru were sat in. Koushi’s eyes widened.

“I think it’s time for us to go, don’t you think, Tooru?” He held his hand out for Tooru to hold.

Tooru stayed quiet, the unspoken sentence “I’d like to see their faces,” clear to Koushi. He nodded. Tooru stood, looking forward as the pair approached. He didn't see what purpose going to the pond would give, but as he shifted his eyes around, he spotted a small river boat.

“Hey,” he pointed to the wooden watercraft, “do you think that’s theirs?” Koushi shrugged, “we could go ask them.” Tooru lit up at his friend’s idea, glad to have a reason to go speak to the mysterious child that had showed up unannounced in the palace garden.

-

Soft morning light filtered in through the wooden shutters that framed the rounded window of Tooru’s room, which was decorated in the reds and golds of the Fire Nation. The intruding light caught in the myriad of crystal hangings that adorned the walls and ceiling of the room, breaking and bending to create the illusion of stars around the room. When the crystals caught the moonlight, especially during a full moon, the glittery pinpricks kept Tooru captivated, and he would often sit on his bed, cross-legged for hours, simply watching the lights shift and dance through his field of vision. Tooru was enamored with the moon and the stars and the sun, and all things celestial.

His parents, both Fire Nation officials, often tried to stifle Tooru’s love of the cosmos, always using the same old argument: “Tooru, you’re a firebender, not some tribal waterbender. You should focus on our nation’s history and culture before you go diving into someone else’s.” Tooru simply elected to ignore them and continued to map the stars out on a scroll whenever he could sneak away from his parents.

Several pricks of light made their way over to Tooru’s sleeping face, his features soft and placid in the early morning. They danced across his nose and cheeks for a moment, finally coming to rest just around his eyes. The new brightness behind Tooru’s eyelids stirred him, causing him to shift and rollover beneath his sheet. In his rolling, Tooru’s elbow connected with the wall his bed was pushed against, sending a jolt of electric pain down his arm. That woke Tooru, forcing him to reach over groggily and rub at his sore joint.

With the iron grip of sleep slowly loosening on Tooru’s mind, he was able to swing his legs over the side of his sleeping mat and sit up. Yawning, Tooru rubbed the dust from his eyes ands stretched. A resounding pop was heard as his back cracked and he sighed into a slouching position. He drifted off again, his bed head of dark brown curls flopping down around his face, when an overly-cheery morning voice was heard.

“Tooru! We’re going to be late for training! It’s already past sunrise!” Koushi knocks repeatedly on Tooru’s wooden door, and he was glad that they were wealthy enough to afford wood. If the door had been paper, his best friend’s repeated morning calls would’ve already torn the partition clean off.

“I’m comin’, Koushi. Just give me a minute to get dressed,” Tooru called out sleepily. He rose and shuffled over to his dresser, which was adorned with glass figurines and wooden carvings of different animals from around the Nations. The wooden turtle duck and ducklings his mother had gifted him several years ago was his favorite, for they were hand carved and painted by her. He stroked the head of the mother turtle duck, and counted each duckling under his breath to make sure they were all still there. Tooru’s morning ritual continued when he pulled out his training attire from the middle drawer and slowly discarded his sleeping garments. He pulled the silk undershirt over his head and laced up his red sleeveless vest, making quick work of the buttons. His black breeches were next, and one foot slid in after the other. They bunched around his knees, but that was the style of today’s clothing in the Fire Nation.

“Tooru, come on! We’re going to be late!” Koushi whined. “Don’t make me get your father to come dress you!”

Tooru opted to ignore his friend, knowing full well that Koushi was too nice to follow through on his threats. Tooru slipped his feet into his pointed shoes, pulling them up and over the excess pant material. Tooru stood up and shook out his hair, grabbing quickly a skybison bristle brush to try and tame his bed head. At least I don’t have the same hair problems as Tetsurou, he thought smugly. Once Tooru was presentable, he strode over the wooden door the hid Koushi and flung it open. Standing in the hallway was his immaculately dressed, silver-haired friend. Tooru propped his hands on his hips and humphed, turning his head upwards. Koushi gave him a You-aren’t-fooling-me look as Tooru beamed proudly at his ability to get dressed by himself.

“Tooru. Your buttons are uneven,” Koushi deadpanned. Tooru risked a glance downwards, and to his dismay, found that he had buttoned his vest out of order. Koushi sighed and stepped forward, fixing Tooru’s buttons.

“We’re going to be late enough as it is, so come on. No, don’t pout, you big baby. Master Nekomata won’t be pleased if you show up pouting again.” Koushi finished his speech, grabbing Tooru by the hand and pulling him through Tooru’s home. They passed Tooru’s father in the front kitchen, boiling water for tea. Despite both his parent’s being benders, neither liked to flaunt their abilities for menial tasks, such as boiling water. Tooru guessed the tea was for his mother, as he saw numerous bundles of dried medicinal leaves on a bamboo cutting board. What piqued his interest momentarily, however, were the three cups that were being readied, instead of the normal one or two.

Another tug at his friend’s hand brought Tooru back, and Koushi waved to Tooru’s father, calling out “bye, sir!” before both boys exited the house and stepped onto the street.

“Koushi, wait,” Tooru said, pulling back on his friend’s hand, “I didn’t even have breakfast.” Koushi tugged back, dragging Tooru along. “Doesn’t matter. Master Nekomata is having us practice drills today, so there’ll be plenty to eat before we start. You know he likes to make sure we grow strong.” Koushi flashed him a brilliant grin, the mole under his right eye crinkling upwards. Tooru glanced down at their locked hands, noticing the slight skin tone differences between the two friends. Koushi was slightly paler than Tooru, despite their equal amounts of time spent outside training, and his hand was smaller.

Tooru let his friend drag him along down the main street outside the palace, occasionally calling out greetings to people they recognized. Koushi was always cheery, event in the early morning, before the sky took on its blues and whites and the heat of the sun set in. He supposed Koushi was allowed to be happy, as his parents both worked as entertainers and musicians for the Fire Lord and his court. Koushi and his family lived in the palace, which made the fact that he would come wake up Tooru on training days even more meaningful.

The uncrowded street gave way to the royal market, which was currently being prepared for the day. Stalls were set up and wares were displayed, jewels and metals and silks and spices, all set out for the wealthy buyers that could afford premium Fire Nation goods. Some children that were being carted off to school squealed as they passed a firework stall that was adorned with paper dragons and masks.

Koushi and Tooru turned down a side path, heading towards the palace garden side entrance. Two guards in full Fire Nation armor stood at attention, and went to open the gate as they saw the two boys approaching. Both boys nodded at the guards, their faces obscured by the helmets with masks they wore. Their spear heads glinted cruelly, and Tooru shivered as they passed through the gate and into the bright green of the garden.

Finally, Koushi let go of Tooru’s hand and spoke. “Race you to the training pavilion!” he called over his should as he leaped ahead, slippered feet kicking up gravel along the path.

“Koushi, no fair!” Tooru whined, but he gave into his friend’s chase and sped off after him, the sound of his laughter like chimes on the wind.

-

Tooru had outshone both Koushi and Tetsurou during practice, as he normally did. The boys had all been bending by the time they could walk, but Tooru’s natural ability was apparent. Koushi and Tetsurou both trained just as hard, but it was hard to hold a candle to a wildfire and say the latter was brighter. During this practice, however, Master Nekomata had forbidden the use of flames. He wanted to help the boys hone their stances and breath control through meditation and precise movement.

“And a breath in, slowly,” Master Nekomata paused, “and breathe out, slowly.” Tetsurou grinned at the whistling noise produced by his master breathing out his nose, but the others had their eyes closed in concentration. “Don’t forget the importance of cooldown stretches and breaths, boys. You don’t want to overheat as a firebender.” Master Nekomata opened his eyes and stretched out his arms above his head. The boys followed suit, all three beginning to giggle at something unknown to their master.

“What’s so funny, hmm?” Master Nekomata cocked a gray eyebrow and stared at the boys, but all three averted their eyes and tried to contain their giggling. They failed to hold back an uproarious laughter when Tetsurou burst out cackling at the turtle duckling that had found its way onto Master Nekomata’s head. Tooru fell backwards on his mat, clutching his sides, and Koushi’s eyes glistened with tears. The turtle duckling squawked and ruffled its feathers atop their master’s hair. Master Nekomata cracked a small grin, reaching up and safely cupping the duckling in his aged hands. He lowered the duckling to the mat in front of him, and all three boys sat back up to watch the baby turtle duck waddle away.

Tetsurou nudged Koushi, who was to his right, whispering “I guess the master is a real chick magnet, eh, Koushi?” This caused Koushi to grin again, and Tooru to snicker.

“Alright boys, let’s not get distracted, we still have stances to practice after lunch,” Master Nekomata spoke. The boys perked up at the word lunch, and Tetsurou sprang to his feet. “Race you guys to the pond!” he called, jumping off their wooden training platform and kicking his way towards the central garden pond.

Master Nekomata sighed and waved Koushi and Tooru off after their friend, whom they eagerly chased. The trio ended their chase winded and hunched over, hands on their knees. Tetsurou’s black bangs flipped upwards as he straightened abruptly. “I win,” he grinned out teasingly, resting his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest.

“You only won ‘cause you took a head start, cheater,” Tooru responded. “I so could’ve beat you had we started fairly.”

Koushi grinned at his friends’ bickering. “Tooru, I think it’s fair that we win stuff once in a while, considering that you always beat us when we spar,” he chided.

“I can’t help that I’m a genius bender,” Tooru spoke out defiantly, puffing out his cheeks and crossing his arms. Tetsurou and Koushi exchanged glances, gold eyes meeting brown, and they nodded knowingly. Then next instant, Tooru was rolling in the grass underneath a pile of his two best friends. They had sprung on him and dragged him down, forcing out laughter as all three wrestled on the ground. A stern presence behind them cleared its throat and the trio paused, limbs in a tangle.

“I see you three would rather eat grass for lunch than the noodles Koushi’s mother so lovingly prepared,” Master Nekomata taunted.

“I want noodles, Master Nekomata!” called Tetsurou, trying desperately to leave Tooru’s grasp.

“No, I want noodles! Koushi’s mom likes me more!” Tooru jostled with Tetsurou on the ground for dominance, while Koushi expertly picked himself from the mass of bodies and made his way over to the basket Master Nekomata had set down.

“If you two would stop fighting like dogs, we all could have my mom’s noodles,” Koushi spoke sagely, slipping into a cross-legged position on the ground. Master Nekomata sat down as well, resting his back against the blossom tree and closing his eyes to sounds of the children settling down to eat. All three boys chatted amiably amongst themselves, with Tetsurou teasing Tooru about the lack of spices in his noodles, and Tooru retaliating with the amount of hair that falls into Tetsu’s meals on a daily basis.

“Really, Tetsu, you should try to cut your hair once in a while. It’s disgraceful to keep it so long,” Tooru teased. “At least tie it up and shave the sides.”

“The day I shave my hair, Tooru,” Tetsurou mumbled out while sucking in noodles, “is the day the Herald’s Comet strikes down the Royal Palace.” Tetsurou punctuated his words with a smack of lips, greedily licking some dripping sauce off his chin, which made for quite a sight.

“Tetsu, you look like a cat trying to clean itself,” Koushi pointed out, “which, by the way, is doing a terrible job.” Now that Koushi pointed out the feline comparison, Tooru could see that Tetsurou looked and acted surprisingly cat-like. His golden eyes always gleamed with curiosity or mischief (sometimes both), and his reflexes were above average whenever they practiced.

“Tetsu does look like a cat! He even meows like one if you scratch his head!” Tooru teased.

“I do not! If I’m a cat, then you’re a… uh, a peacock pigeon!” Tetsurou japed his chopstick towards his friend, flinging a trapped noodle straight at Tooru. The noodle stuck to Tooru’s face, dangling across his nose. “I’m a what?” the brown-haired boy asked.

“It’s some ancient bird that lived during the time of the first Avatar,” Koushi supplied. “There are pictures of some in a scroll that my parents have.”

“Why do your parents have a scroll from the time of the first Avatar?” Tooru flicked the noodle from his nose, and Tetsurou chuckled as it flipped around in the air.

The silver-haired boy shrugged. “They like to collect things. My mom wanted to be a scholar before she married, but my she fell in love with my dad and his music.”

“Aww, Koushi is such a romantic. Are you going to give up your passion when you marry someone?” Tetsurou prodded, a sly grin decorating his features. Koushi blushed a brilliant red, spreading from the tips of his ears down to his cheeks.

“If you marry, they’re going to have to accept how stubborn you are, Koushi. There’s no way you’d give up bending for love,” Tooru chided.

Koushi just hummed in agreement, and all three boys turned their attention back to their meals. Master Nekomata was still feigning sleep, but at the mention of Koushi’s willingness to not change, he spoke.

“In the end, those who do not change will not evolve, Koushi,” Master Nekomata proffered. “We all must sacrifices in this world, some more extreme than others. What matters, when we make these sacrifices, is what we might gain, and what we might lose.” He spoke the last word strongly, hoping to teach the boys another lesson. Master Nekomata opened one eye and peeked at his students. Tetsurou and Koushi stared wide-eyed at him, with a look of reverence and respect, but Tooru had glanced downwards, averting his gaze from his master. His gripped his chopsticks with too-tight fingers, turning is knuckles white.

Master Nekomata closed his open eye and sighed. “Finish your lunch, boys. We’ll continue our stances afterwards.”

Master Nekomata took a breath in, and exhaled slowly. He really needed to drill into these boys that outside the Royal Palace walls was an entirely different world. A world currently unfilled with many enemies, but the Fire Sages thought otherwise.

“When will the Avatar appear?”

“Why haven’t we found him yet!”

“The cycle has landed on a firebender, so we don’t have to look far.”

“The world’s balance cannot go any longer with its Bridge Between Worlds.”

These thoughts raced around Master Nekomata’s mind, and the minds of many others who were spiritually connected. Fire Lord Ushijima was pressing the Sages into discovering the Avatar, wanting to claim the glory of a firebending Avatar for his family line.

The aging master was unaware that he had begun drifting off to the sound of his student’s speech and the rustle of leaves until a shadow fell over his face, jostling him awake.

“Master Nekomata, the Fire Lord requests your presence.” The guard who came to retrieve him produced a scroll, tied up in red silk and bearing the wax seal of the Fire Lord. Master Nekomata took the scroll, refusing to stand while he read. He glanced over the message once, and then twice to make sure he was reading it correctly.

“He requests your presence,” the guard insisted, “immediately.”

Master Nekomata risked a glance at this students, now done with their meals and currently fixing their training garments.

“Master Nekom-“ the guard was cut off by the master’s abrupt standing.

“Boys, we’ll have to continue the training tomorrow,” the master spoke, “clean up your lunch and head home for now.”

“Where are you going, Master Nekomata?” Koushi asked. Tetsurou was practically buzzing with curiosity as to why their master was being summoned. The master took a step forward and place a hand on Koushi’s head, ruffling his pale hair.

“I have to go see the Fire Lord about a very persistent waterbender,” he joked. The grin on the master’s face was well-worn enough to hide his fluttering of nerves. “Maybe I’ll request Prince Wakatoshi to come out and play with you three.”

Tooru screwed his face up in displeasure. “The prince only ever wants to fight,” he said. “He never wants to practice spirit stuff.”

The guard behind Master Nekomata was visibly shifting, fearing the punishment he might receive for not bringing the master immediately.

“I’ll see you boys later,” Master Nekomata reassured them. The trio watched as the master turned and walked off, the guard turning on his heel and following suit. A faint whistling was carried from the direction of the master, and the boys instantly recognized it as the Fire Nation Hymn.

“Hey, Tooru,” Tetsurou asked.

“Hmm?”

“Want to feed the turtle ducks with the leftovers?”

Tooru beamed at his friend’s idea, delightfully gathering up the rest of their meal. Koushi aided them, and soon all three had cleaned up and were making their way down to the pond which was known to harbor a mother and her ducklings.

**Author's Note:**

> hope everyone enjoyed this, as we're looking forward to writing more! our tumblrs are [okasawa](http://okasawa.tumblr.com/) and [basedtooru](http://basedtooru.tumblr.com/). comments and kudos are very much appreciated ^_^ (also if there is some error in our lore or avatar universe knowledge, feel free to correct us!)
> 
> *renamed Sozin's Comet to Herald's Comet because in this au Aang and that storyline don't exist


End file.
